


Finding Their Footing

by wanderingjedihistorian (RangerJedi67)



Series: Playing in the Soft Wars Sandbox [35]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Clone Post War Life, Family, Feels, Figuring Things Out, Introspection, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Star Wars AU - Soft Wars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:02:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29726643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RangerJedi67/pseuds/wanderingjedihistorian
Summary: Bacara went to Kote full of rage and defiance. He threw his anger at the plan at the other clone without hesitation. He snarled that he would not allow his men to be used to allow Kote to gain power he had no right to seek.Kote took it all.Then Cody firmly, but carefully corrected every single one of his misunderstandings.If Cody were a lesser man, he would have held it all against Bacara.If Cody were a lesser man, Bacara doesn’t think he’d ever have been able to truly respect him.
Relationships: CC-1138 | Bacara & CC-2224 | Cody, CC-1138 | Bacara/CT-7567 | Rex
Series: Playing in the Soft Wars Sandbox [35]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1725601
Comments: 8
Kudos: 101
Collections: Open Source Soft Wars





	Finding Their Footing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Project0506](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Project0506/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Burgeoning](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23869885) by [Project0506](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Project0506/pseuds/Project0506). 



> So there we all were, minding our own business in the Soft Wars discord.  
> Then Projie drops this news that there was stuff removed from Burgeoning that showed Bacara had gotten the wrong impression about what Cody was planning. It gave me a lot of Feels. A Lot. So here we are.
> 
> Many thanks to Evilkillerpoptarts and Shira for betaing!

CWCWCWCW

The first time they talked after arrival on Concord Dawn could have gone many ways. Bacara lingered after the meeting was dismissed. He waited as the other CCs headed off to check in to see how their men were settling in. Rex hovered awkwardly, clearly unsure. A signal from Cody and a nod from Bacara finally got him to leave. Both knew he wouldn’t go far.

“You could have demanded anything, and I would have sworn to it, if it meant you bringing my Novas home,” Bacara said evenly.

Cody nods in acknowledgment.

“I know. I knew it then too. I could have humiliated you and you would have let me. For them,” Cody responded.

He never would have, never would hurt and disrespect a vod like that. But the fact remained that he _could have_.

“Rex would never follow you, if you were the sort of man who would do that,” Bacara said quietly.

“No, he wouldn’t. He would have challenged me himself,” Cody agreed with a small smile. He put a gentle hand on Bacara’s shoulder. “You offered everything to me but asked for nothing for yourself. Almost every other Commander sought to negotiate for power or favor. You wanted your men safe and there was no price you would not pay. I respect that immensely. I respect you more than I respect those who used their brothers as bargaining chips for power. I will never humiliate or demean you. You are hurting and broken. I would never be so cruel as to hurt you further. You and your men suffered so much for so long, so alone. But you are Home now. We have you now. You are safe. Let us take care of you. Let yours brothers care for you. I have no agenda with you and yours. I promised to bring you home, and here we are. I will mourn and remember the fallen with you. And I will protect and shelter all who came Home. You have my word as Vod’alor,” Cody vowed fiercely.

Bacara took a deep, shuddering breath. He was the one who leaned in first. Cody moved to meet him until their foreheads pressed together. Cody could feel the trembling under his hand. He shifted and pulled the other man into a fierce embrace. He was a little surprised that there was no resistance, they were not close and Bacara was proud, but the other man hugged back just as firmly.

‘Maybe,’ Cody thought, ‘he has decided that if I’m good enough to comfort Rex, then I am acceptable to comfort him too.’

Cody had been…concerned after their first meeting. Unsure if they would ever be on solid footing. That Bacara accepted this from him now made him hopeful. Rex loved this man, so Cody wanted them at least to be able to be friendly.

After a long moment they separated.

“Now, if I know Rex, he’s hovering outside of the door and debating which of us he needs to be more concerned about,” Cody said with a smirk.

Bacara laughed. It was short and small, but it was a laugh, nonetheless. It was a start and Cody would take it.

“Of course, he is,” The Marine agreed with a small smile.

Sure enough, Rex was right outside the door, not even pretending to be doing anything else.

“All’s well, Rex’ika,” Cody assured gently.

“’Alor is right, tat’ka. All is well here,” Bacara assured.

Rex smiled brightly. He loved them both and he had worried about their ability to truly get along. Both of them were proud, strong leaders. He knew there were details he hadn’t been told about the day Bacara swore to Cody. That was OK. It was between the two men; he didn’t need to know it all. But seeing them now, quietly at peace with one another? His heart swelled at that. Those he loved were here and healing. He could ask for nothing more.

CWCWCWCW

Time moved quickly that first year. There was so much to do and see and try and _build._

Thinking about where their relationship was now often led to Bacara thinking about just how differently things could have gone between them. When word first reached him about an _upstart_ daring to call himself Alor, with some scheme for the clones and their future, it reached him _wrong._ Missing pieces, miscommunication and misunderstandings gave him a terrible picture of what this _Kote_ was planning. Bacara was not interested in letting some commander he’d never met get his Marines into a war for a throne none of them had the slightest claim to. He wasn’t about to let his men die so Kote could steal the Mandalorian throne. He didn’t have words to describe the relief he felt when he found out how _wrong_ that was. Finding out that Kote wasn’t interested in being the Mand’alor, but was taking the title of _Vod’alor_ …changed a lot. The Marine wouldn’t forsake his duty to fight yet another war, wouldn’t support someone forcing even more of the clones into the sort of hopeless battles that the forward companies faced.

Bacara went to Kote full of rage and defiance. He threw his anger at the plan at the other clone without hesitation. He snarled that he would not allow his men to be used to allow Kote to gain power he had no right to seek.

Kote took it all. Then Cody firmly, but carefully corrected every single one of his misunderstandings.

If Cody were a lesser man, he would have held it all against Bacara.

If Cody were a lesser man, Bacara doesn’t think he’d ever have been able to truly _respect_ him.

Forsaking a war they didn’t ask for to be able to find _peace_ , a life, a Home? That. That was a worthy dream. The Marine would have given anything, promised anything for his men to have that hope. The Vod’alor asked for nothing but his pledge, asked nothing except that he _join them._

After he pledged, Bacara apologized for his misunderstanding of the plan and for misjudging Cody as both man and leader. His Alor looked at him with gentle eyes and assured him apologies weren’t necessary. That he’d never ask a leader to apologize for wanting to protect those under their command. Cody’s next words shocked Bacara at the time, though in hindsight they shouldn’t have.

_I would have thought less of you for coming to pledge willingly, if you thought that was my plan._

Even so, were Cody a lesser man their relationship could have been strained by that start. Cody could have put Bacara at the bottom of the hierarchy in retaliation, could have shown him no respect at all. Or it could have been even worse than that. He could have made it clear Bacara was physically there but otherwise unwelcome. He could have made to be an _outsider_ in their future Home even more than he was in war. Bacara knew such things never even occurred to Cody. Such petty cruelty just wasn’t who he was.

Bacara still felt like an outsider at times. There was so much he just didn’t understand. Training with Davin, a former Journeyman Protector, and learning his dialect rather than standard Mando’a meant there were words and phrases that were common to most clones but that he didn’t know. Nova being on the other side of the Blockade meant that things that spread across the GAR often didn’t reach them, though the forward companies created things all their own. He’d never be like most of the other commanders. Cody never once made him feel _less_ for it. And all of the Vode were so _protective_ of the former forward companies. His men, and the Valors and Winders, would never be alone again unless they wanted it. He knew most never would.

Bacara went to Kote with every intention of starting a fight.

Instead, Bacara met Cody and he started to see what it was about the other man that earned so much respect from Rex.

He didn’t want to think about what his having a poor relationship with Cody would have done to his relationship with Rex. Would the blond have felt the need to play referee between them? Would he have tried to get them to become friends and grown angry when it failed? Or would he simply have had to accept that his beloved and his closest brother would never like one another? Bacara was grateful it never came to that.

His relationship with Cody started out in the rockiest way possible. It could have set the precedent for antagonistic relations between them. He was glad that wasn’t the case.

Cody was a friend, he was _family._

Family.

That concept was still such a novelty, still something he could barely believe he had.

It was worth it.

CWCWCWCW

It could have been a disaster, that first meeting with Bacara. It could have ruined any chance of his support or at the very least any chance of them managing a friendship after. Cody hoped he and Bacara could be friendly at least from the moment he found out how important the man was to Rex.

Bacara came to him full of anger and spoiling for a fight. Cody didn’t let it show but it caught him off-guard. He knew some would be _wary_ of his plans but hadn’t thought them worthy of rage.

Then Bacara started to speak.

Cody was _horrified_ and for a moment…he was afraid. Were his plans being so misunderstood by others too? Or was this grave misunderstanding a one-off, caused by distance and an inability to communicate directly? He waited until Bacara finished speaking, then he carefully corrected the misunderstanding.

By the end, he had Bacara’s pledge and he could tell there was just a faint glimmer of hope in the other’s eyes once more.

He didn’t forget the encounter, after. How could he. It made him more careful, just a bit more purposeful in his messages from then on. He didn’t want to risk others misunderstanding him too. After seeing how badly the Marines were truly doing, he was more determined than ever. He worked as quickly as he could without risking discovery or failure. He had given his word and he would keep or die trying.

It wasn’t until they were Home, that he really thought about what else it could have meant.

It was an off-hand comment from _Neyo_ that made him realize something else.

It would be…incorrect, to say that he wasn’t willing to be vindictive. There were people who had hurt his brothers that he would make _pay_ and not so much as lose as moment’s sleep over. But the possibility of being that way with one of their own never occurred to him. Holding Bacara’s anger and misunderstanding against him was _unfathomable_ to him. Bacara had wanted to protect his men; Cody would _never_ fault him for that. To somehow punish him for it after they arrived Home…the mere thought made Cody sick. Part of him wanted to bring it up to Bacara but part of him didn’t want to hear the other man say that he _did_ fear some form of retribution for it.

He intended to ask Bacara to serve on his Council, something that seemed only logical. Nova, like Winder, Valor and even Guard, had a different perspective from most. He wanted that. And he _knew_ Bacara wouldn’t hold back telling him if he was wrong on something.

On a more personal note, Rex loved Bacara. If Cody and Bacara hadn’t been able to get along because of that meeting, it would have put Rex in a very uncomfortable position. He was glad that wasn’t the case.

Still, becoming _friends_ with Bacara was unexpected. The more he got to the man behind the Marine, the more alike he realized they were. His willingness to share stories about cadet Rex also won him points with the man, he was sure.

His people were Home.

And his family was more than just his squad.

It was more than he ever dared hope for.

CWCWCWCW


End file.
